Monday Winds of War Briefing
Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Monday's Winds of War briefings are given by Security Watchtower and Peace Like a River.
Top Topics
* Iran has turned over documents to the IAEA that were obtained from Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan, that experts reveal contain design information critical to building a nuclear weapon. The move raises many questions, primarily Tehran's unwillingness to previously disclose the documents.
* The Filipino military has intensified their hunt of Abu Sayyaf members on Jolo island after more than a week of sporadic shootouts and fierce firefights that have left four soldiers and dozens of Abu Sayyaf gunmen dead.
* By a 183-14 vote, the Iranian parliament voted to restart uranium enrichment and end snap UN inspections if Iran is refered to the Security Council, a possibility in the coming week.
Other topics today include: EIU report; Jordanian security; Jordanian protests; Saudi counterterrorism efforts; Egypt's elections; Canadian armor; al Qaeda on the Mexican border; Clashes in Chechnya; Afghan fighting; India's security report; Indonesian jihadists; Attacks on Christians in Indonesia; Dutch don't want Afghan assignment; Bosnian terror arrests; Somalia piracy; and much more.
Iran & the Middle East
* The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released a report detailing and ranking Middle Eastern nations in political and civil liberties. The top five come as no surprise, with Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Iraq and the Palestinian territories ranking as the most democratic areas in the region.
* In the wake of the Amman suicide attacks on November 9th, security around Jordan has been tightened, with metal detectors being installed at many shopping centers and restaurants, and frequent ID checks and searches becoming a regularity.
* As many as 200,000 Jordanians took to the streets to protest the triple bombings at hotels in Amman last week. Condemnation of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and calls of cowardice for executing the attacks were frequent in the wake of Zarqawi's threat to cut off the head of Jordan's King Abdullah.
* Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz has said the Kingdom can put an end to home grown terrorism within two years, but qualified his remarks by saying "we cannot get rid of it (terrorism) 100 percent."
* The first stage of Egypt's three-stage elections, including both the initial round and the run-off, has left three basic results clear: the ruling National Democratic Party is showing signs of internal strain, the banned Muslim Brotherhood is very strong, and the legal opposition parties are quite weak.
America Domestic Security & the America's
* The Canadian army is buying 50 light-armoured vehicles from South Africa, and expects delivery early next year so the next deployment of soldiers can use them in Afghanistan, The Canadian Press has learned.
* Counter-terrorism investigators are finding an increasing number of "homegrown" Canadian extremists like those who bombed the London transit system in July, and some have undergone training inside Canada, a new report says. A "secret" intelligence study obtained by the National Post says a "high percentage" of the Canadian Muslims involved in extremist activities were born in Canada, a marked shift from the past when they were mostly refugees and immigrants.
* A defense attorney for Jamaat-al-Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr has said that one of the seven charges he now faces isn't a criminal offence. Bakr is facing four charges of sedition and incitement arising from statements he made during Eid celebrations.
* Brazil has seen no worrisome signs in the area where its border joins those of Argentina and Paraguay, which the United States considers a region with links to activities of Islamic extremist groups, the commander of Brazil's army said here. "We are observing the triple border. We understand that it is under control. We always have a presence there and to date we have no knowledge of anything serious," Gen. Francisco Roberto Albuquerque said in statements published Friday by the local press.
* An Al Qaida operative who was on the FBI's terrorist watch list was recently captured near the Mexican border, housed in a Texas jail and turned over to federal agents, Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, said on Friday.
* A bomb went off at a branch of a Spanish bank near Mexico City on Friday, damaging office furniture and shattering windows, while another planted at a separate location owned by the company failed to detonate.
Russia & South/Central Asia
* International donors reviewing Bangladesh’s programmes on poverty alleviation and economic reforms have asked the government to deal sternly with Islamic militancy and corruption. At a three-day meeting that concluded in Dhaka on Thursday, donor nations said pledges on poverty reduction and tackling corruption and terrorism should be followed up within the next 12 months, before attention is diverted by a general election in early 2007.
* The Russian Interior Ministry and Federal Security Service eliminated a group of international terrorists in Chechnya and their leader, Jaber, a Saudi mercenary who was an Al-Qaeda representative in the North Caucasus, the operative HQ of the United Group of Forces said Friday.
* The leader of a local militant network and a police officer have been killed in an armed clash in a village in Chechnya, the breakaway Russian republic, on the border with the republic of Dagestan, the head of the Chechen Interior Ministry's press service said Sunday.
* The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to Mohammed Afroze, convicted by a POTA court on charges of conspiring with Al Qaeda to attack places of importance in India, Australia and Britain. He has been granted bail on the grounds that his appeal will come after five to seven years.
* Suspected separatist rebels tossed grenades into a Mosque during morning prayers Friday, killing at least four Muslim worshippers, police said. The attack came a day after Sri Lanka held its presidential election, which was boycotted by the Tamil Tiger rebels.
* An explosion on the outskirts of the Afghan capital killed a Portuguese peacekeeper with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and wounded three others. "One ISAF soldier was killed and three injured, one of them seriously, by an explosion in Bagrami district of Kabul," ISAF spokesman Major Andy Elmes told AFP on Friday.
* The latest issue of Chechnya Weekly from The Jamestown Foundation has two items on Chechen rebel president Abdul-Khalim Sadulaev, among the seven items total.
* Despite bombings and the lingering Taliban insurgency, Afghanistan is showing signs of slowly integrating with regional as well as international economic organizations. This past week has been one of Afghanistan's bloodiest, as suicide bombings shook the capital and southern Afghanistan.
* BBC has reported that senior Nepali opposition leaders have held parleys with Maoist leaders in the Indian capital. A BBC correspondent in Delhi said Nepali leaders did meet Maoists in the Indian capital and that the meeting reportedly took place at a government-building. General Secretary of CPN (UML), Madhav Kumar Nepal, however, claimed that the news report was "100 percent false." "There is no need for us to travel to Delhi to meet Maoist leaders," he said. "We can meet them in Nepal itself," he added.
* Saturday's Terrorism Update from SATP has several items illustrating the various conflicts in South Asia, and the different militant groups operating there. Sunday's update is here.
* Police in Bangladesh said they had raided a den of militants on Saturday in the country’s north, seized bomb-making material and arrested three suspects. "A hardcore militant was arrested from the den in northwestern Panchagarh, 500 km (300 miles) from Dhaka, while two others were picked up from other spots," a senior police officer said. Earlier police said they had arrested six suspected Islamist militants on Friday in the northwestern area of Thakurgaon.
* A Taleban spokesman said an Indian engineer and threee Afghans were taken in the Poshat Hasan district on Saturday. The Taleban have been responsible for a number of abductions of engineers, including several Turks and Indians, in southern Afghanistan.
* India's Ministry of Defense has released its 2004-2005 report (244 pages, available in PDF). Chapter 1 is entitled The Security Environment, and is a good summary of the security threats India perceives in its neighbors.
Far East & Southeast Asia
* Rohan Gunaratna, head of terrorism research at Singapore's Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, is warning that westerners may be the targets of attacks in Indonesia, including personnel assassinations. The view is supported by the U.S. embassy in Jakarta, who posted similar warnings on their website a week ago.
* Thousands of Islamic terrorists with experience fighting in Afghanistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Libya, are living in larger cities in Java and West Sumatra according to several Indonesian intelligence officers. Their statements follow a claim by Din Syamsuddin, chairman of Indonesia's second biggest Moslem mass organization, that 3,000 foreign jihadists who fought the Soviets in Afghanistan had been recruited to wage holy war in Africa.
* The armed wing of the Filipino communist party (NPA) attacked another Globe telecommunications tower, the 19th such attack this year after the company refused to pay extortion demands. The following day, nine Filipino soldiers were killed when their truck struck a landmine set by the NPA.
* With the annual Schoolies Week taking place along the Gold Coast of Australia, authorities are boosting security measures and the number of officers in an effort to prevent any potential terror attacks.
* At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, the Philippines recieved high praise and accolades for their counterterrorism efforts.
* Jihadists in Indonesia continue their attacks on Christians in Sulawesi, in the hopes of driving Christianty from the nation all together with.
Europe
* Authorities in Italy have arrested three Algerians believed to have links to an Algerian militant group that has allied itself with Osama bin Laden, police said Thursday. They were detained on suspicion of association with the aim of international terrorism, a charge introduced in Italy after the Sept. 11 attacks, the official said.
* Britain may be forced to increase their troop presence in Afghanistan, because Dutch government officials thinks it's too dangerous to deploy their own troops there. There are currently 625 Dutch troops in Afghanistan, while another 1,000 were slated to join the efforts.
* Bosnian police have arrested two terror suspects who authorities believe are linked to a pair arrested in Sarajevo in October. Denmark has also arrested seven suspects tied to the Sarajevo arrests.
* A British judge denied three British-Muslims a five month extension on a trial to face charges of terrorism offenses, and instead rescheduled the trial for next month.
* Turkish authorities have arrested two men with links to al Qaeda in the city of Konya, and found remote-control bomb making equipment.
Africa
* The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) likely will adopt a resolution next week pressing Ethiopia and Eritrea to avert a renewed war and return to a 2000 peace accord, diplomats told Reuters in New York Thursday. "This is a dangerous situation," U.N. peacekeeping Chief Jean-Marie Guehenno told reporters after briefing the council behind closed doors on the latest developments.
* Somali pirates have freed a ship and its crew after holding them hostage for almost one month off Somalia's north-east coast. There are still six ships being held along with their crews by pirates.
* In Egypt, police arrested 400 Muslim Brotherhood activists in a crackdown on the Islamist group which poses the strongest challenge to the ruling party in Egyptian legislative elections on Sunday. Armed thugs also attacked Brotherhood supporters and blocked them from voting in the second stage of elections which will decide 144 seats in parliament, election monitoring groups said.
* Security forces in Morocco have arrested 17 radical Islamists on suspicion of belonging to a "terrorist structure" linked to al Qaeda, the state news agency MAP said on Sunday, quoting a police source. The agency said two Moroccans who had been held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay, Brahim Benchekroun and Mohamed Mazouz, were among the recruits.
The Global War
* The CIA has established joint operation centers in more than two dozen countries where U.S. and foreign intelligence officers work side by side to track and capture suspected terrorists and to destroy or penetrate their networks, according to current and former American and foreign intelligence officials.
* China’s rapid modernization of its military and naval capabilities has a wide range of implications for the U.S. Navy, according to a report released Nov. 18 by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). One key issue noted in the report is the question of how much emphasis to place on countering Chinese military expansion, balanced against the needs of the ongoing conflicts on Iraq and Afghanistan and the Global War on Terror.
* Kurt Vonnegut has praised terrorists as "very brave people" and used drug culture slang to describe the "amazing high" suicide bombers must feel before blowing themselves up. In discussing his views with The Weekend Australian, Vonnegut said it was "sweet and honourable" to die for what you believe in, and rejected the idea that terrorists were motivated by twisted religious beliefs.
* Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle will star in another new movie about the 9/11 attacks titled "Reign O'er Me," scheduled to begin filming in 2006. Currently two other movies about 9/11 are being made, Oliver Stone's untitled movie featuring Nicholas Cage and "Flight 93" from director Paul Greengrass.
* An article (page 14 of the magazine) in the November issue of State, the magazine of the US State Dept, describes the mission of the Office of Terrorism Finance and Economic Sanctions Policy. According to the article, "Identifying and cutting off the money flow has proven to be central to undermining terrorist groups".
Thanks for reading! If you found something here you want to blog about yourself (and we hope you do), all we ask is that you do as we do and offer a Hat Tip hyperlink to today's "Winds of War". If you think we missed something important, use the Comments section to let us know. For ongoing tips, email "MondayWindsOfWar", over here @windsofchange.net.
Top Topics
* Iran has turned over documents to the IAEA that were obtained from Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan, that experts reveal contain design information critical to building a nuclear weapon. The move raises many questions, primarily Tehran's unwillingness to previously disclose the documents.
* The Filipino military has intensified their hunt of Abu Sayyaf members on Jolo island after more than a week of sporadic shootouts and fierce firefights that have left four soldiers and dozens of Abu Sayyaf gunmen dead.
* By a 183-14 vote, the Iranian parliament voted to restart uranium enrichment and end snap UN inspections if Iran is refered to the Security Council, a possibility in the coming week.
Other topics today include: EIU report; Jordanian security; Jordanian protests; Saudi counterterrorism efforts; Egypt's elections; Canadian armor; al Qaeda on the Mexican border; Clashes in Chechnya; Afghan fighting; India's security report; Indonesian jihadists; Attacks on Christians in Indonesia; Dutch don't want Afghan assignment; Bosnian terror arrests; Somalia piracy; and much more.
Iran & the Middle East
* The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released a report detailing and ranking Middle Eastern nations in political and civil liberties. The top five come as no surprise, with Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Iraq and the Palestinian territories ranking as the most democratic areas in the region.
* In the wake of the Amman suicide attacks on November 9th, security around Jordan has been tightened, with metal detectors being installed at many shopping centers and restaurants, and frequent ID checks and searches becoming a regularity.
* As many as 200,000 Jordanians took to the streets to protest the triple bombings at hotels in Amman last week. Condemnation of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and calls of cowardice for executing the attacks were frequent in the wake of Zarqawi's threat to cut off the head of Jordan's King Abdullah.
* Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz has said the Kingdom can put an end to home grown terrorism within two years, but qualified his remarks by saying "we cannot get rid of it (terrorism) 100 percent."
* The first stage of Egypt's three-stage elections, including both the initial round and the run-off, has left three basic results clear: the ruling National Democratic Party is showing signs of internal strain, the banned Muslim Brotherhood is very strong, and the legal opposition parties are quite weak.
America Domestic Security & the America's
* The Canadian army is buying 50 light-armoured vehicles from South Africa, and expects delivery early next year so the next deployment of soldiers can use them in Afghanistan, The Canadian Press has learned.
* Counter-terrorism investigators are finding an increasing number of "homegrown" Canadian extremists like those who bombed the London transit system in July, and some have undergone training inside Canada, a new report says. A "secret" intelligence study obtained by the National Post says a "high percentage" of the Canadian Muslims involved in extremist activities were born in Canada, a marked shift from the past when they were mostly refugees and immigrants.
* A defense attorney for Jamaat-al-Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr has said that one of the seven charges he now faces isn't a criminal offence. Bakr is facing four charges of sedition and incitement arising from statements he made during Eid celebrations.
* Brazil has seen no worrisome signs in the area where its border joins those of Argentina and Paraguay, which the United States considers a region with links to activities of Islamic extremist groups, the commander of Brazil's army said here. "We are observing the triple border. We understand that it is under control. We always have a presence there and to date we have no knowledge of anything serious," Gen. Francisco Roberto Albuquerque said in statements published Friday by the local press.
* An Al Qaida operative who was on the FBI's terrorist watch list was recently captured near the Mexican border, housed in a Texas jail and turned over to federal agents, Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, said on Friday.
* A bomb went off at a branch of a Spanish bank near Mexico City on Friday, damaging office furniture and shattering windows, while another planted at a separate location owned by the company failed to detonate.
Russia & South/Central Asia
* International donors reviewing Bangladesh’s programmes on poverty alleviation and economic reforms have asked the government to deal sternly with Islamic militancy and corruption. At a three-day meeting that concluded in Dhaka on Thursday, donor nations said pledges on poverty reduction and tackling corruption and terrorism should be followed up within the next 12 months, before attention is diverted by a general election in early 2007.
* The Russian Interior Ministry and Federal Security Service eliminated a group of international terrorists in Chechnya and their leader, Jaber, a Saudi mercenary who was an Al-Qaeda representative in the North Caucasus, the operative HQ of the United Group of Forces said Friday.
* The leader of a local militant network and a police officer have been killed in an armed clash in a village in Chechnya, the breakaway Russian republic, on the border with the republic of Dagestan, the head of the Chechen Interior Ministry's press service said Sunday.
* The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to Mohammed Afroze, convicted by a POTA court on charges of conspiring with Al Qaeda to attack places of importance in India, Australia and Britain. He has been granted bail on the grounds that his appeal will come after five to seven years.
* Suspected separatist rebels tossed grenades into a Mosque during morning prayers Friday, killing at least four Muslim worshippers, police said. The attack came a day after Sri Lanka held its presidential election, which was boycotted by the Tamil Tiger rebels.
* An explosion on the outskirts of the Afghan capital killed a Portuguese peacekeeper with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and wounded three others. "One ISAF soldier was killed and three injured, one of them seriously, by an explosion in Bagrami district of Kabul," ISAF spokesman Major Andy Elmes told AFP on Friday.
* The latest issue of Chechnya Weekly from The Jamestown Foundation has two items on Chechen rebel president Abdul-Khalim Sadulaev, among the seven items total.
* Despite bombings and the lingering Taliban insurgency, Afghanistan is showing signs of slowly integrating with regional as well as international economic organizations. This past week has been one of Afghanistan's bloodiest, as suicide bombings shook the capital and southern Afghanistan.
* BBC has reported that senior Nepali opposition leaders have held parleys with Maoist leaders in the Indian capital. A BBC correspondent in Delhi said Nepali leaders did meet Maoists in the Indian capital and that the meeting reportedly took place at a government-building. General Secretary of CPN (UML), Madhav Kumar Nepal, however, claimed that the news report was "100 percent false." "There is no need for us to travel to Delhi to meet Maoist leaders," he said. "We can meet them in Nepal itself," he added.
* Saturday's Terrorism Update from SATP has several items illustrating the various conflicts in South Asia, and the different militant groups operating there. Sunday's update is here.
* Police in Bangladesh said they had raided a den of militants on Saturday in the country’s north, seized bomb-making material and arrested three suspects. "A hardcore militant was arrested from the den in northwestern Panchagarh, 500 km (300 miles) from Dhaka, while two others were picked up from other spots," a senior police officer said. Earlier police said they had arrested six suspected Islamist militants on Friday in the northwestern area of Thakurgaon.
* A Taleban spokesman said an Indian engineer and threee Afghans were taken in the Poshat Hasan district on Saturday. The Taleban have been responsible for a number of abductions of engineers, including several Turks and Indians, in southern Afghanistan.
* India's Ministry of Defense has released its 2004-2005 report (244 pages, available in PDF). Chapter 1 is entitled The Security Environment, and is a good summary of the security threats India perceives in its neighbors.
Far East & Southeast Asia
* Rohan Gunaratna, head of terrorism research at Singapore's Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, is warning that westerners may be the targets of attacks in Indonesia, including personnel assassinations. The view is supported by the U.S. embassy in Jakarta, who posted similar warnings on their website a week ago.
* Thousands of Islamic terrorists with experience fighting in Afghanistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Libya, are living in larger cities in Java and West Sumatra according to several Indonesian intelligence officers. Their statements follow a claim by Din Syamsuddin, chairman of Indonesia's second biggest Moslem mass organization, that 3,000 foreign jihadists who fought the Soviets in Afghanistan had been recruited to wage holy war in Africa.
* The armed wing of the Filipino communist party (NPA) attacked another Globe telecommunications tower, the 19th such attack this year after the company refused to pay extortion demands. The following day, nine Filipino soldiers were killed when their truck struck a landmine set by the NPA.
* With the annual Schoolies Week taking place along the Gold Coast of Australia, authorities are boosting security measures and the number of officers in an effort to prevent any potential terror attacks.
* At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, the Philippines recieved high praise and accolades for their counterterrorism efforts.
* Jihadists in Indonesia continue their attacks on Christians in Sulawesi, in the hopes of driving Christianty from the nation all together with.
Europe
* Authorities in Italy have arrested three Algerians believed to have links to an Algerian militant group that has allied itself with Osama bin Laden, police said Thursday. They were detained on suspicion of association with the aim of international terrorism, a charge introduced in Italy after the Sept. 11 attacks, the official said.
* Britain may be forced to increase their troop presence in Afghanistan, because Dutch government officials thinks it's too dangerous to deploy their own troops there. There are currently 625 Dutch troops in Afghanistan, while another 1,000 were slated to join the efforts.
* Bosnian police have arrested two terror suspects who authorities believe are linked to a pair arrested in Sarajevo in October. Denmark has also arrested seven suspects tied to the Sarajevo arrests.
* A British judge denied three British-Muslims a five month extension on a trial to face charges of terrorism offenses, and instead rescheduled the trial for next month.
* Turkish authorities have arrested two men with links to al Qaeda in the city of Konya, and found remote-control bomb making equipment.
Africa
* The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) likely will adopt a resolution next week pressing Ethiopia and Eritrea to avert a renewed war and return to a 2000 peace accord, diplomats told Reuters in New York Thursday. "This is a dangerous situation," U.N. peacekeeping Chief Jean-Marie Guehenno told reporters after briefing the council behind closed doors on the latest developments.
* Somali pirates have freed a ship and its crew after holding them hostage for almost one month off Somalia's north-east coast. There are still six ships being held along with their crews by pirates.
* In Egypt, police arrested 400 Muslim Brotherhood activists in a crackdown on the Islamist group which poses the strongest challenge to the ruling party in Egyptian legislative elections on Sunday. Armed thugs also attacked Brotherhood supporters and blocked them from voting in the second stage of elections which will decide 144 seats in parliament, election monitoring groups said.
* Security forces in Morocco have arrested 17 radical Islamists on suspicion of belonging to a "terrorist structure" linked to al Qaeda, the state news agency MAP said on Sunday, quoting a police source. The agency said two Moroccans who had been held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay, Brahim Benchekroun and Mohamed Mazouz, were among the recruits.
The Global War
* The CIA has established joint operation centers in more than two dozen countries where U.S. and foreign intelligence officers work side by side to track and capture suspected terrorists and to destroy or penetrate their networks, according to current and former American and foreign intelligence officials.
* China’s rapid modernization of its military and naval capabilities has a wide range of implications for the U.S. Navy, according to a report released Nov. 18 by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). One key issue noted in the report is the question of how much emphasis to place on countering Chinese military expansion, balanced against the needs of the ongoing conflicts on Iraq and Afghanistan and the Global War on Terror.
* Kurt Vonnegut has praised terrorists as "very brave people" and used drug culture slang to describe the "amazing high" suicide bombers must feel before blowing themselves up. In discussing his views with The Weekend Australian, Vonnegut said it was "sweet and honourable" to die for what you believe in, and rejected the idea that terrorists were motivated by twisted religious beliefs.
* Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle will star in another new movie about the 9/11 attacks titled "Reign O'er Me," scheduled to begin filming in 2006. Currently two other movies about 9/11 are being made, Oliver Stone's untitled movie featuring Nicholas Cage and "Flight 93" from director Paul Greengrass.
* An article (page 14 of the magazine) in the November issue of State, the magazine of the US State Dept, describes the mission of the Office of Terrorism Finance and Economic Sanctions Policy. According to the article, "Identifying and cutting off the money flow has proven to be central to undermining terrorist groups".
Thanks for reading! If you found something here you want to blog about yourself (and we hope you do), all we ask is that you do as we do and offer a Hat Tip hyperlink to today's "Winds of War". If you think we missed something important, use the Comments section to let us know. For ongoing tips, email "MondayWindsOfWar", over here @windsofchange.net.
2 Comments:
At Mon Nov 21, 09:56:00 PM, Night Writer said…
My, you do get around!
At Mon Nov 21, 09:57:00 PM, Jeff said…
It's all in the wrists!
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